Famine is plaguing extremely poor nations like Somalia, Yemen, South Sudan, and Afghanistan. Young children in these countries are dying at the fastest rate in decades. Those that survive will be forever marked by malnutrition.
Places like Pakistan and Lebanon may be next on the list. Interest rates of 24 percent, 65 percent and even 80 percent are not unusual in countries buffeted by a lack of foreign currency and rising prices. Families who scraped by on income of $1 a day can now afford only half of what they used to eat.
In the U.S., few babies are dying of malnutrition, even with the baby formula shortage. That doesn’t mean it is easy being at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. While there are government aid programs and charities, the money doesn’t go as far as it once did. Food banks have more customers and less food. That means less food on the dinner plate for too many families.
Even a little higher up the economic ladder, it’s getting dicey. People who live paycheck to paycheck are finding their paycheck doesn’t go as far and it did a year ago. The elderly on Social Security, pensions, and other fixed income plans are feeling the pinch. Gasoline and food costs are a constant concern, but rent increases and rising utilities are doing at least as much damage to budgets as they climb 30 percent or more. That’s more than you can save by adjusting your thermostat a few degrees.
Food costs are also driving down the quality of food in programs aimed at seniors, including those in retirement community dining halls. Expect the same thing to happen this fall when kids go back to school. (As if school lunches aren’t bad enough already.)
The Bad News
The bad news is that light at the end of the tunnel some people claim to see is not the sunshine of a happier day but an oncoming train. We are stuck in a loop in which the people in charge repeat their failed actions, expecting them to work this time. The very definition of insanity. They double down on failure and act surprised when things grow worse.
It’s too late for an easy solution, but they should choose the fast one instead of a slow drawn out one. Let’s get this over with! Yet instead of ripping of the Band-Aid in one fast yank, the powers that be pull it up a little at a time, not realizing the other end is sticking back down as they go. This country needs aggressive action and instead we get blame, lies, and vague promises from weak leaders who are themselves millionaires with healthy pensions.
At the same time prices are rising, wealth is dropping. That may be bad for the wealthy, but it is terrible for the rest of us. What little savings people had is going to keep their heads above water. Credit card bills are building as people charge things. Those charges could take years to pay off, making the card holders effectively poorer or candidates for bankruptcy.
Life is changing, and not for the better. Retirements will have to be deferred. Kids will have to move back in with parents, or perhaps elderly parents in with their kids. Small businesses are failing. Restaurants are closing. Crime is rising.
And our government in Washington? They don’t seem to care.
Welcome to the Future You Voted For
OK, maybe you didn’t vote for it. But someone did (supposedly).
This is what happens when you elect socialists. Call them progressives, leftist, communists, fascists, it matters not. Their policies have the same effect. It all leads to one thing: An economy run by wishful thinkers who have never put in a week of hard labor, academics who think the United States is a model in which to test their latest magical monetary theories, and unelected bureaucrats who have usurped far more power than the Constitution of Congress ever gave them.
No socialist system has lasted half as long as the United States. Most have resulted in large scale death, persecution and a system that makes the poor poorer and the very few at the top more powerful. Yet it appears to be what people want. A sad commentary of the level of education and awareness the average citizen possesses.
Sometimes I think the collapsitarians are right. They think things need to collapse so they can be put back together the right way. I’m not so sure that the way spelled out in the Constitution, which was ratified in 1788, isn’t the right way; we’ve just slipped too far from the original intent. My fear is that the Socialist will use a collapse or reset to seize power and remold the constitution to their liking. Then right-thinking people will have no option other than a revolution.
Until then, prep. Buy food and supplies. Stock up on the items you need. If you spend $100 today on pantry food, it may save you $200 next year. While you’re at it? Pick some rounds for your battle rifle.
